Timepiece



d INVENTOR: PGJ. We'fss BY 727W Md@ ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE TIMEPIECE Application led November 13, 1930, Serial No. 495,492, and in Switzerland October 21, 1930.

This invention relates to timepieces and more particularly to watches such as pocket or wrist watches of the type in which the movement casing is provided with movable members adapted to cover or to expose the dia-l of the watch.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and compact casing structure wherein no parts required for operation of the movable casing members are appa-rent on the outside of the watch, thus giving the latter a neat appearance and making it especially suitable for wrist Wear.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan View of a wrist watch showing the lids of the casing in closed position.

Figure 2 is a section through the watch along the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a section along the line III-III of Fig. 1.

The watch as illustrated comprises a Watch case provided with a back member 1, a front member and bezel 2 to which the back 1 is hingedly secured. and a cage ring 3 carrying the movement 4. The bezel opening 15 is normally covered by mea-ns of doors slidably engaged between the guiding members 16 on the case portion 2 and adapted to move in opposite direction to cover or expose the wat-ch dial.

One of the doors is composed of two superposed lids 5 and 6, the lid 5 being movable with respect to the lid 6 and being hingedly mounted on this lid at 7, while the other door` is formed by a single member 17, The upper lid 5 is provided on its closing edge with an inward projection 8 adapted to engage in a corresponding recess 9 on the closing edge of the door 17. The projection 8 and the recess 9 are urged into engagement by means of a spring blade 10 placed into a recess 11 of the relatively stationary lid 6 and acting upon the lid 5 near that edge of the lid which is situated opposite the projection 8 so as to hold this lid in turned down position. An open space 18 is provided between each of the doors and the case portion 2 and a spring 12 is placed in each of these spaces and having one of its ends resting on a project/ion 19 of the watch bezel and the other end acting upon a shoulder 20 of the doors sol as `to urge the doors to slide away from eachother i lVhen it is .desired to see the time a slight pressure is exerted with the finger on the extreme end of the lid 5 in order to compress the spring 10 and to make the lid turn about its hinge 7 and to bring the projection 8 out of engagement with the recess 9 of the door 17. Then the two doors, owing to the springs 12, slide in opposite direction along the guide members 16 and expose the watch dial. The door k17 and the lid 6 are provided, on one of their lateral edges, with a recess 14 cooperating with a pin 13 secured to the case portion 2 to limit the movement of the doors.

The pin 21 iiXed between the two eXtensions 22 of the case portion 2 serves for attaching a wrist strap. In order to close the doors, these are brought together by two fingers of a hand until the projection 8 engages the recess 9 in the ldoor 17 The spring 12 has the shape of an undulated blade adapted to act at two points upon the door in order to provide pressure exerted in the direction of movement of the doors and to prevent any ainming of the doors in their guides. The described watch has the advantage to be of neat and compact construction, owing to the fact that no parts necessary to operate the doors are visible external of the watch, which makes this construction especially suitable for wrist watches.

I claim:

1. A case for watch movements comprising in combination, a comparatively flat casing body having an opening in one face, a pair of doors slidably mounted on said casing body and movable to cover or expose said opening, spring means normally tending to open sai-d doors, one of said doors comprising two members, a relatively stationary member and a relatively movable member hingedly mounted on the stationary member and being provided with means adapted to engage the other of said doors, and spring means normally tending to hold said relatively movable member in engagement with said other door.

Y Y 2. A case for watch movements comprising in combination, a comparatively flat casing body having an opening in one face, a pair of doors slidably mounted on said casing body and movable to cover or expose said opening, spring means interposed between each of said doors and the casing body and urging` said doors into open position, one of said doors comprising two members, a relatively stationary member and a relativelyv movable member liingedly mounted on said stationary member, said relatively movable member having its edge which in closed p0- sition ofthe doors is adjacent to the other of said doors provided with a projection, said other door being provided with, a recess adapted; to engage saidprojection, a blade spring housed in a recess provided in said relatively stationary member and acting on the relatively movable member near the edge thereof which is situated opposite said Vprojection carrying edge.

3.` A combination as deined in claim' 1, 1n

which the spring means tending to open the doors consists ofiundnlated blade springs housed in an open space provided between each door and the casing body.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

PHILIPPE. JOSEPH WEISS. 

